<p>My main reason is clear: my school doesn’t offer the major that I want. Only thing is, I’m planning on focusing my essay about my personal growth during my last semester of high school and my first semester of college and how that time led to my passion for the major that I want. I know that in the essay it’s crucial not to bash my current institution, but it’s true. Not only does my school not offer the major; it lacks any resources that support the discipline (i.e. not even a minor, area of study, study abroad option, research opportunity, internship, or ANY way to practice my desired subject), and I want to make sure that the adcoms understand that I don’t have anything to work with to demonstrate my passion for the subject, academically and EC-wise. The closest thing I CAN do to demonstrate it is taking kinda-sorta similar classes that could be “interdisciplinary” to my desired major, but even then they don’t have much to work with and opportunities for that department are scarce. </p>
<p>Only problem is if I do say all these things, I feel like I’m bashing my institution, so I’m inclined to just focus on my passion. But how would the adcoms know that there’s nothing I can work with in my institution without sounding like I’m bashing it, because just saying, “My school doesn’t offer the major” doesn’t explain the whole situation, and I feel like taking it a step further and adding, “…nor any resources or opportunities to help me practice it or support the subject” may not only sound whiny but also hard to believe that an institution might not have ANY resources, but in fact it’s true.</p>